Colts' Offensive Staples: Crunch Run

It is time for a new offseason series for the site. In the Colts' Offensive Staples series, I'll go through some plays that Frank Reich loves to utilize in his offense. Next up is a run call named Crunch.

The Indianapolis Colts under Frank Reich have consistently had one of the better offenses in the league, despite the team starting four (going on five) different quarterbacks over four years. In this new series, I hope to shed some light on why the Colts' offense has managed to stay efficient despite the turnover.

In the Colts' Offensive Staples series, I will be exploring some of Reich's favorite play calls for this offense. Obviously things change with new quarterbacks, but Reich has stayed pretty consistent on a few of his go-to calls over the years.

Sticking with the ground game for this series, our next play call to analyze is called Crunch. Crunch is a spread offense stylized run that utilizes a guard trap block and a wham block to give the running back space up the middle.

In today's Colts' Offensive Staples piece, I define a few key terms to this call, analyze an example of the call in depth, and talk about how the Colts used this call in 2021.

Defining Trap and Wham Blocks

Before diving into the play call itself, it is important to define what these two blocks are, as they are both essential to the success of this rushing play. As always, I have enlisted the help of the Inside The Pylon Glossary to define these terms (I highly recommend reading their catalog).

Wham block according to ITPylon:

A skill player executes a wham block when he runs behind the line of scrimmage to block an interior defender from the side. The interior rusher often initially believes he is unblocked and does not expect the wham. Surprise is key because the blocker is typically a tight end or H-back matched up against a 300+ pound behemoth inside. By blocking the interior defender with a skill player, an offensive lineman is freed up across from the defender to move to the second level and block other players.

Trap block according to ITPylon:

The trap block is a run blocking assignment that pulls a blocker to the play side of the formation to block an uncovered defender. Most of the linemen block down in one direction, while the trap blocker flows in the opposite direction toward the defender. The defender is intentionally left unblocked by the rest of the offensive personnel, allowing the trap blocker to move in from the opposite side of the formation and take him out of the play.

To put these definitions into simpler terms, wham and trap blocks are the exact same block. The only difference is wham is using a tight end or skill position player to block, while trap is using an offensive lineman. On these blocking calls, the player executing the block is blocking down away from the flow of the play, while the rest of the offensive line is flowing play side.

Breaking Down Crunch Step By Step

Crunch is a call that is typically run out of the gun that utilizes both trap and wham blocks on the same play. It is certainly a risky play design, but it has the potential to hit big against aggressive defensive fronts.

Let's look at one of the Colts' Crunch calls against the New York Jets this past season. Jack Doyle is lined up as the H-Back to the play side on the right. Once this ball is snapped, Doyle will perform a wham block on the 3-Tech defensive tackle on the interior. Right guard Chris Reed will perform a trap block on the backside 2-Tech defensive tackle:

While those players are blocking against the flow of the play, the other lineman are going to move with the run to the right. Center Ryan Kelly and left tackle Eric Fisher both climb to the inside linebackers.

With Doyle coming down on the 3-Tech, right tackle Braden Smith is also free to kick out the strong side defensive end.

When all of these blocks are in-sync and hitting at the same time, it is an absolute beauty to watch. Running back Jonathan Taylor is gifted with a wide open hole on this play, which he is able to explode through for 12 yards.

Full play in action:

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) June 7, 2022

How the Colts Use Crunch

While Crunch isn't a call that can be used a ton, due to the misdirection nature of the call, it is a play that has been used in the Colts' offense over the years.

Frank Reich loves to dial this one up when he plays against aggressive defensive fronts. Teams that encourage their defensive linemen to get up the field in a hurry are largely susceptible to this call (since the call is reliant on instant penetration from the interior defensive linemen).

It is no wonder that Reich used this call much more frequently on teams with aggressive fronts in 2021 (like the Jets with Robert Saleh and the Bills with Leslie Frazier).

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— Not Zach’s Burner (@NotZachsBurner1) June 7, 2022

The Bottom Line

Crunch is a perfectly designed run call to counter an overaggressive defensive front. Reich has utilized this call quite a bit in the past, and it has slowly become a staple of the Colts' rushing attack.

Much like with yesterday's article on Split Zone, the loss of Jack Doyle could hurt this play a bit in the future. Doyle was instrumental to the success of these calls and his loss could certainly impact future usage of Crunch. Mo Alie-Cox and Jelani Woods certainly need to show their worth on run plays like this in the near future.

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